Family support is critical to remaining in one’s home and in the community, but often comes at substantial costs to caregivers themselves, to their families, and to society.  A new study by the AARP estimates that for the more than 40 million Americans caring for an elderly or disabled loved one, the value of their work is $450 billion a year.

On the AARP website you will find the full study (28 pages) titled, “Valuing the Invaluable:  2011 Update The Growing Contributions and Costs of Family Caregiving” in pdf form.  Also provided is a Fact Sheet that presents highlights from the report, such as the value of family caregivers.  The Fact Sheet includes a table  with the number of caregivers and the economic value of caregiving by state. According to the study the economic value of caregiving in Wisconsin is $5,800 million.